Read They Found Him Dead for Free Online

Allison stared at him rather blankly. Various explanations chased one another through her head, only to be dismissed as inadequate. She said mechanically: "Are you sure?"
    "You may see for yourself, miss," replied Pritchard, leading the way to Silas Kane's room.
    The sight of the bedclothes turned neatly back, the uncrushed pillow, the pyjamas laid out, was oddly frightening. There could be no doubt that Silas had not slept in his bed. Miss Allison pulled herself together and said briskly: "Have you sent out to search the grounds? Mr. Kane went for his usual walk last night, I know. He may have had a heart attack."
    "Yes, miss, I thought of that at once. There's no sign of him been seen yet, but I've sent Edwards and Pullman along the cliff walk. I believe the master generally went that way. I thought it best to tell you at once, on account of the mistress."
    "Quite right. There's no need to say anything to alarm Mrs. Kane until we know more. Did you see Mr. Kane go out last night?"
    "Not precisely, miss. I saw him when Mr. James left, and I understood from him that he meant to take his usual walk. I happened to mention the fact of there being a considerable sea fret, but the master made nothing of it. You know his way, miss. He told me I need not wait up, and I consequently went up to bed and thus did not actually see him leave the house."
    Miss Allison nodded and went back onto the landing.
    Her appearance there coincided with the opening of Timothy Harte's bedroom door. Timothy stuck a tousled head out and desired to be told what all the row was about.
    Miss Allison allowed this grossly unfair description of her quiet colloquy with the butler to pass unchallenged and merely said that nothing was up. Timothy looked severely from her to Pritchard and said with a marked nasal intonation: "Say, sister, get wise to this! You can't put nothin' across on me!"
    "Say, brother," retorted Miss Allison, not to be outdone, "let me advise you to scram!"
    Timothy grinned and, apparently construing this request as an invitation, came out onto the landing. "I thought you looked as though you might be sporting," he remarked. "Honestly, what is up?"
    Pritchard gave a warning cough, but Miss Allison judged it wisest to admit Mr. Harte into their confidence.
    "We don't quite know, but we're afraid Mr. Kane may have been taken ill on his walk last night or have met with some accident. He doesn't seem to have come home."
    Timothy's eyes grew round, but the most partial of observers could scarcely have supposed his expression to denote anything but profound relish of these disturbing tidings. "I say!" he gasped. "I jolly well told you so! I bet I had a kind of instinct about it!"
    "Don't be so absurd!" said Miss Allison rather irritably. "How could you have had an instinct, as you call it, that Mr. Kane would have a heart attack? Besides, you never told me anything of the kind."
    "Yes, I did!" said Timothy. "At least, not about a heart attack. But I distinctly remember saying that I shouldn't be a bit surprised if someone was murdered here in the night. Actually, I never thought about it being Uncle Silas, but I probably had a sort of premonition all the same."
    The butler looked outraged and startled, but Miss Allison, unimpressed, said: "If that's your idea of a joke, it's a bad one. There's no question of murder, but we are rather worried about your uncle, and that kind of suggestion isn't in the best of good taste."
    "Sorry," said Timothy. "As a matter of fact, he isn't my uncle, though. Actually he isn't any relation at all."
    "Well, you go and get dressed," replied Miss Allison. "Then you can help look for him."
    It seemed good to Timothy to follow this advice. He said: "Sure thing!" and disappeared into his room again.
    "I'll do the same," said Miss Allison. "You've warned Ogle not to say anything to Mrs. Kane, I hope? Not that I think she would."
    "The female staff knows nothing as yet, miss. I thought it best to speak to you